Abbreviations

EPA — Environmental Protection Agency
ESA — Endangered Species Act
PULA — Pesticide Use Limitation Area
BLT — Bulletins Live! Two
ULV — Ultra-Low Volume
DSD — Droplet Size Distribution

Highlights

• Aerial application of Isocycloseram is not permitted for all crops — only specifically allowed crops may be treated from the air.
• Ultra-low-volume aerial application (<2 GPA) is prohibited nationwide.
• Even when applying by air, TWO runoff mitigation points are mandatory, unless the field meets a runoff exemption condition.
• Drift buffers (300 ft for aerial) are mandatory, but can be reduced using EPA’s Mitigation Menu options.
• BLT lookup is required within 6 months prior to or on the day of application.

Crop-Specific Aerial Use Permissions

Based on the product labels:

Aerial application is allowed for these crops:

• Cotton
• Potato
• Soybean
• Corn (only for specific labeled formulations)

Some labels specify:

“Aerial application is prohibited for all uses except Cotton, Potato, and Soybean.”

Other labels specify:

“Aerial application is prohibited for all uses except Corn, Cotton, Potato, and Soybean.”

And in New York:

“DO NOT apply by air in New York state.”

Aerial application is prohibited for:

• vegetables (except where label allows per specific formulations)
• fruit crops (except where label allows)
• tree nuts (except where label allows)
• turf and ornamentals
• residential areas
• greenhouse applications
• plants grown for transplant

Applicators should never assume aerial application is approved — it must be verified directly from the product label.

ULV Aerial Is Prohibited

Regardless of crop:

“Ultra-low volume (ULV) applications, spray volumes <2 gallons per acre, are prohibited.”

Drift Requirements for Aerial Application

Mandatory label conditions include:

• Sustained wind speeds between 3–15 mph
• No temperature inversions
• Nozzle selection delivering medium or coarser droplets (ASABE S641)
• Boom length relative to aircraft span or rotor diameter (Per Mitigation Menu, 50% boom length reduction allows for up to 65% drift buffer reduction)
• Swath displacement upwind based on wind speed conditions
• Height ≤10’ above canopy unless necessary for safety
• 300-ft wind-directional ecological buffer to non-managed areas

However, applicators can use mitigation options to reduce or remove buffer requirements, if compliant, such as:

• coarser droplet size
• lower boom height
• downwind windbreak
• reduced application rate
• higher relative humidity
• boom length reduction

The Critical Issue: Runoff Mitigation for Aerial Applicators

Aerial applicators often focus on drift but may underestimate the runoff compliance burden.

Here is the rule:

TWO runoff/erosion mitigation points are required outside PULAs for all crops listed on the label unless the field qualifies for an exemption.

This is true EVEN IF:

• there is no soil incorporation
• the field appears dry
• there are no nearby waterways

Runoff/Erosion compliance is required and the applicators responsibility

Related: How to Determine if Runoff Mitigation Is Required

Applicator Responsibility and Defensibility

The EPA guidance states:

“Pesticide users will need to plan their pesticide applications in advance to determine whether they are subject to runoff/erosion mitigation.”

This means:

✔ The applicator must determine if runoff points are required.
✔ The applicator must determine if the field qualifies for an exemption from runoff/erosion.
✔ The applicator must be prepared to defend that determination in audit or investigation.

This requires:

• documented BLT lookup
• documented runoff determination
• documented mitigation measures or documented exemption justification

If it isn’t documented, it didn’t happen.

EPA Official Decision Sequence for Runoff

Step 1: Plan for the season

Identify expected crops and products.

Step 2: Determine whether runoff points are required

Does the label or BLT require runoff mitigation?

If NO → no runoff mitigation needed.
If YES → proceed to Step 3.

Step 3: Does the field qualify for exemption?

If ANY of the following conditions are true:

• perimeter berm
• tailwater return
• controlled subsurface drainage
• soil injection
• tree injection
• subsurface chemigation
• spot treatment under 1,000 sq ft
• treated area <1/10 acre
• ONLY managed areas downwind for the full buffer length

Then:

“No additional runoff/erosion mitigation needed.”

If NONE of the above apply → runoff points must be achieved.

Practical Example for Aerial Applicators

Aerial applicator receives a request to treat a cotton field.

They must document:

1. BLT lookup
2. Whether the field is inside a PULA
3. If inside a PULA — how many points required (could be 4 or 6)
4. If outside a PULA — label still requires 2 points of runoff/erosion mitigation
5. Runoff exemption determination - if the field is exempt, must document the reason
6. Mitigation used or justification of exemption

Acre Blitz enables applicators to prove:

• that they checked BLT
• that they checked PULA boundaries
• that they verified whether points were required
• that mitigation measures were applied
• and that data is stored for audit defense

👉 Integrate the PULA Check API into your platform

Final Message to Applicators

Aerial application of Isocycloseram comes with both unique crop level restrictions and runoff/erosion mitigation responsibilities.

You must:

✔ confirm crop eligibility
✔ comply with wind, height, and nozzle requirements
✔ maintain drift buffers (or formally mitigate them)
✔ verify runoff mitigation requirements
✔ document the runoff decision
✔ record mitigation actions or exemption justification
✔ log the BLT lookup

Acre Blitz exists to support that compliance reality and to ensure that when state regulators ask:

“Show us how you determined compliance with all applicable ESA requirements for this application?”

— you have the answer.